


(If you run with me) I'll stay with you

by heydoeydoey



Category: Glee
Genre: Fluff, M/M, SO MUCH FLUFF, and a smidgeon of angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-04-10
Updated: 2012-04-10
Packaged: 2017-11-03 09:53:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/380104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heydoeydoey/pseuds/heydoeydoey
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“People are messy and have problems and if you’re gonna be with somebody forever, you gotta commit to sticking around for the stuff that isn’t happy.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	(If you run with me) I'll stay with you

**Author's Note:**

> Winner of the puckurt Diva-off on LJ!
> 
> Canon compliant until 3x13 "Heart"
> 
> Title borrowed from the Goo Goo Dolls' "Stay with You"
> 
> Written purely for entertainment purposes, I'm making no money, please don't sue.

Puck figures Kurt doesn’t mean for his words to haunt Puck the way they do. It was just a throwaway comment on Valentine’s Day _—see, Puckerman, that’s what you’re missing out on: true love_ —and from Kurt’s light-hearted tone Puck knows the other boy didn’t really expect to be taken seriously.  It shouldn’t bother him the way it does, but for some reason the words echo around Puck’s head like one of Bekah’s annoyingly catchy bubblegum pop songs he can’t forget no matter how hard he tries.

Puck can list all the people in the world he loves on one hand.  His mom.  Bekah.  His nana.  Beth.  Not his dad, not since he was twelve.  Puck washed his hands of Eli Puckerman the day he walked out on all of them.

But once Kurt says it, Puck can’t forget it.  He wonders if he should be more generous with his list, if maybe Finn deserves to be on there; they’ve been friends forever.  But his friendship with Finn hasn’t been the same (will never be the same) since sophomore year. Puck’s not sure whether Finn will always have his back, and that matters to Puck a helluva lot more than some stupid true love bullshit.

His court-ordered shrink told him he has trust issues, like it was supposed to surprise Puck.  It didn’t.  Of course he doesn’t trust people.  Barely anyone has given him a reason, and if his life has taught him anything, it’s that he’s got more to lose than to gain from love. 

Still, the absolute confidence in Kurt’s voice makes him wonder if maybe he _is_ missing something.  Kurt and the hobbit seem pretty happy, although Kurt is delusional if he thinks they’re gonna stay together forever.  Puck can already see the cracks in that relationship.

The thing is, he doesn’t actually _want_ to be right about Kurt and Blaine, because Kurt deserves to have things go his way for a change, but he’s not remotely surprised when he is.  They make it to spring break before they split and Blaine goes back to Dalton.  Kurt manages to convince everybody else he’s _fine, really, thanks for asking_ , but Puck knows better.

***

“It wasn’t true love,” he tells Kurt one day.  They’re both hiding out in the choir room; Puck’s skipping math and he thinks Kurt is supposed to be in gym. “You and Blaine.”

“Thanks, Captain Obvious.” Kurt snarls at him, his eyes narrowed. 

“Only because it doesn’t exist.” Puck explains, although Kurt doesn’t look any less annoyed.

“How would you know?”

“Because the idea that there’s one person out there for everybody is just bullshit.  True love and happily ever after and all that other fairy tale crap isn’t real.”

“I suppose that’s easy for you to say.  You don’t want a happily ever after with somebody.”

“You don’t know the first thing about what I want.” Puck snaps, because he’s tired of everybody telling him what he’s going to be or what he wants without even asking him.

Kurt flinches, and stares down at his shoes for a second or two. “You’re right.  I’m sorry.”

Now Puck just feels like shit, which is annoying since he hasn’t done anything wrong.

“What do you want?” Kurt asks quietly, like he thinks Puck is going to snap at him again.

“To be happy,” Puck shrugs.

“Does that mean you aren’t happy now?” Kurt asks.

“Nope.” Puck says. “I’m not.  Are you?”

Kurt’s eyebrows arch, like nobody’s ever asked him before.  And the thing is, they probably haven’t.  Everybody always asks _are you okay_ , nobody ever says _are you happy_.

“I don’t know.” Kurt admits.

“I’m pretty sure that actually means no, you’re not.”

***

“So what do you have against happily ever after anyway?” Kurt asks him a few weeks later.  They’re in the choir room again, only this time they’re both skipping lunch.  Well, Puck’s skipping lunch.  Kurt has a bag lunch and is just avoiding the cafeteria.  Before Puck can answer, Kurt hands him half of the turkey-on-rye he brought with him.

“Uh…thanks.”

Kurt shrugs and looks at Puck expectantly, waiting for his answer.

“Happily ever after makes it sound like all your problems go away and everything is just rainbows and butterflies and bubbles.” Kurt presses his lips together like he’s trying not to laugh, but Puck ignores it and keeps going. “But it’s not like that.  People are messy and have problems and if you’re gonna be with somebody forever, you gotta commit to sticking around for the stuff that isn’t happy.  Even when it sucks and it would probably be easier to just back out.”

He takes a bite out of the half-sandwich mostly to stop talking, because Kurt’s looking at him like he’s never really noticed Puck before, and it’s making him feel a bit too exposed. 

“That makes sense.” Kurt nods.

Puck sort of expects more of a discussion after that, but Kurt just goes back to his lunch and the history textbook propped open on the chair next to him.

***

Puck can tell something is wrong as soon as Kurt walks into the choir room.  Puck hasn’t seen him look so miserable since his dad was in the hospital.

“What’s wrong?” Puck demands, and Kurt jumps in surprise.

“Jesus, Puck.  Why are you sitting in here in the dark?”

“It’s early.  I’m only half-awake.  What’s wrong?”

“I’m fine.” Kurt insists.

“You’re not.” Puck frowns. “Wanna get out of here?”

Kurt sighs, but he gives up denying something’s wrong. “Yes.  I’ll drive.”

It’s no hardship, sitting in the passenger seat of the Nav while Kurt drives aimlessly through town.  He stops at a florist and disappears inside, returning five minutes later with a bouquet of brightly coloured daisies.

“Hold those.” Kurt says, handing the flowers to Puck.

“You mean they’re not for me? I’m heartbroken.” Puck jokes, but Kurt doesn’t even smile, just shifts into reverse and backs out of the parking lot.

It takes Puck all of two seconds to figure it out when Kurt pulls into the cemetery parking lot.  He wonders if maybe he should have caught on sooner, but he figures it doesn’t really matter now.

“Do, uh, you want me to wait here?” Puck offers, certain Kurt only brought him to shut him up, not because Puck’s really the person he wants with him right now.

“Actually…no. I’ve never gone alone before and I’m not sure I can...”

“Okay.” Puck says, shouldering open his door and hopping out of the car, bringing the flowers with him.

He follows Kurt into the cemetery, feeling awkward and out of place.  Kurt weaves his way through the headstones, coming to a stop at a spot near the middle.  Puck hands over the flowers silently, and Kurt shoots him a tight smile and sets them gently on the ground in front of the headstone.

Puck knows some people like to talk in cemeteries, but Kurt doesn’t seem to be one of them.  He just presses his fingers against the cool stone and closes his eyes.  Puck sits down in the grass, which is a little damp but he doesn’t really care.  He doubts they’re going back to school today anyway.

Kurt sits down next to him after a few minutes, and Puck nearly jumps in surprise when Kurt rests his head on Puck’s shoulder.

“She’s been gone ten years today.”

“I’m sorry.” Unlike most of Puck’s apologies, he actually means this one.

“I’m all right, really.  Today snuck up on me though.”

“What was she like?”

“Stubborn.” Kurt smiles. “Apparently it took my dad two years to convince her to go out with him.  And I remember she always won when they fought.  She could hold out longer, until eventually he just gave in.”

“That doesn’t sound like your dad.  He’s pretty hardcore.”

“He is.  But she was his weak spot.  In a good way.”

Puck nods and wraps his arm around Kurt’s shoulders without really thinking about it.  Maybe that’s what loving someone means: having a weak spot but not minding so much.

“Thanks.” Kurt says quietly. “For coming with me.”

“No problem.”

***

“The next person that says anything to me about prom is going to get punched in the face.”

“Can I watch?” Puck grins.

“No, it’s your job to stop me.  I can’t afford to be suspended.” Kurt grins.

“What’s the big deal, anyway?  Isn’t prom kind of your thing?”

“After last year?  No, not really.”

“Oh.  Yeah.”

“Plus, I don’t have a date, and I’m getting annoyed with Rachel pulling pity faces at me.”

“I’ll be your date.” Puck offers, the words escaping his mouth before he can think about it.

“Ha ha, Puckerman.” Kurt rolls his eyes.

“I’m serious.  I don’t have a date either.”

“Shouldn’t you be anti-prom?  Every cheesy high school movie tells us it’s the modern day version of Cinderella’s ball and I know how you feel about fairy tales.”

“Everybody else is gonna be paired up.  It makes sense for us to go together.  You’re the only one I’d want to hang out with there anyway.”

Kurt looks pretty stunned by that, but it must be enough to change his mind, because he says, “Okay. We’ll go.  But only if you get a decent tux.  Nothing like that cater-waiter mess you wore last year.”

“How ‘bout you just pick it, then?”

“Deal.” Kurt grins.

***

Puck can’t help thinking Kurt looks really good in his tux.  He’s looked really good all night, but for some reason he looks the best now, at Rachel’s after party, with his tie loosened and his jacket off and his hair sort of deflating from the swoopy thing it was doing and his shirt sleeves rolled up.  It’s the first time Kurt’s looked relaxed all night, and Puck doesn’t blame him after what happened last year.  This year was mostly uneventful at least, even if it wasn’t particularly fun. 

Puck got some shit from McKinley’s resident dumbasses for being Kurt’s date, but it’s nothing he hasn’t heard before just from being in glee club.  Besides, he doesn’t give fuck what any of them think anyway.  They’re three weeks from graduating and then, shockingly, he’s actually going to college.

“What’re you grinning about?” Kurt asks him.  They’re sprawled comfortably on the couch in Rachel’s basement (Oscar room, whatever) while the rest of the glee club is having some kind of dance party, as if they haven’t danced enough tonight.

“Just happy.” Puck shrugs and Kurt smiles at him.

“I can see that.  Looks good on you.” 

Before Puck can respond, Rachel and Mercedes come drag Kurt onto the dance floor with them.  He watches Kurt dance because he can’t not, and he’s starting to realise that Kurt might be a weak spot he doesn’t mind having. 

He’s not sure what to do with that thought yet.

***

Puck gets slushied by the hockey team Monday after prom, and he feels like an idiot for not expecting it.  Kurt looks furious and follows him into the locker room to help him clean up.

“I shouldn’t have let you be my date.” Kurt scowls.

“I _wanted_ to be your date.”

Kurt sort of freezes at that, but he recovers after a second. “Still.  I should have known this was going to happen.  They aren’t going to stop at just one, you know.”

“I know.  I don’t care.”

“Puck—

“It’s okay, Kurt.  Really.”

“There’s nothing _okay_ about this.” Kurt snaps, but there isn’t any real heat behind his words.

“I know.  That’s not what I meant.  It is what it is.  It’s me that’s okay.  I can handle the slushies, because I wouldn’t have traded going to prom with you for anything.”

Kurt’s face flushes, and Puck sort of revels in knowing he can do that to Kurt.

“I’m late for class,” Kurt blurts and escapes the locker room before Puck can stop him.

***

Puck can’t sleep that night, so he pulls on clothes and moves quietly through the house, easing the front door open and locking it behind him.  It’s a warm night, and he starts walking mostly just to clear his head.  He’s halfway to Kurt’s when he realises where he’s going.  He hasn’t seen him since glee club today, but Kurt hadn’t actually _spoken_ to him, just sat down on the other side of the room.  Puck’s felt off balance all day, and he knows it’s because things are unsettled and awkward with Kurt.

 _U awake?_ He texts Kurt when he’s outside the Hummel-Hudson’s house, feeling a bit like a stalker.

 _Yeah. You can’t sleep either?_ Kurt replies barely a minute later.

_i’m in your front yard._

_You’re crazy_. Kurt texts, but Puck sees his light flick on.  He sits down on the porch steps to wait.

“Do you do this often?” Kurt whispers when he sits down next to Puck. “Lurk outside my house in the middle of the night?”

“No.  I guess there’s a first time for everything.”

“Why are you here?”

“You’ve been avoiding me.  Don’t tell me you haven’t.”

“I just thought some space might be a good idea.”

“Why?”

“Because people are throwing slushies at you and saying things not worth repeating and I really don’t want any of that to come between us.”

“But it obviously already has, if you think us _not_ hanging out is the solution.”

“Just until things settle down, Puck.”

Puck frowns. “I don’t want space.  Today sucked.”

“Yeah.” Kurt agrees. “It did.”

“For the record, I’m not the kind of guy who gives up when the going gets tough.  Learned that much from my old man, at least.  Although he was more of a lesson in what not to do.”

“He left?” Kurt guesses.

“Yeah.  When I was twelve.  Just went out after dinner one night and never came back.”

“Why?”

“Why does anybody walk out?  He was a coward.  Broke my mom’s heart.  Bekah’s lucky, she doesn’t remember him.”

“Do you ever see him?”

“No.  He calls sometimes, sends birthday cards when he remembers, which usually every other year.”

Puck doesn’t know how Kurt does it, knows exactly what Puck _isn’t_ saying, but he hits the nail on the head. “You miss him.”

“Sometimes.  Not that he deserves it.”

“It’s okay.” Kurt says, and Puck’s surprised to find out how much he needed to hear that.

“So…no more of this stupid space thing?” Puck asks hopefully.

“It would be easier on you,” Kurt insists.

“Easier doesn’t mean better, Kurt.  I can handle whatever they want to throw at me.  I don’t want space.”

“Okay,” Kurt agrees softly. __

“I thought you were going to fight me a little more on that.” Puck teases. “Try and out-stubborn me.”

“I guess you’re my weak spot.” Kurt smiles, and Puck can’t help grinning.

***

It’s a Tuesday, two weeks before graduation, when it happens.  Kurt is skipping gym and Puck is skipping math (as per usual) and they’re commiserating over their respective colleges’ roommate application forms when the words get past Puck’s brain-mouth filter.

“I love you.”

“I know.” Kurt smirks.

Puck grins, because Kurt referencing _Star Wars_ is one of the best things ever.  Still, he’s curious, because he didn’t think he’d been _too_ obvious. “How’d you know?”

“Because you did exactly what you said you would.  You stayed even when it would’ve been easier to leave.”

It’s sort of impossible not to kiss Kurt after that.  Kurt grins against his mouth and sort of melts against Puck, and all the times Puck’s imagined this happening don’t come close to the reality.

“I love you too,” Kurt murmurs quietly when they separate.

“Good.  Because I’m not going anywhere anytime soon.”


End file.
